Tithing As A Single Mom: The Struggle Is Real

This one was a struggle for me at the beginning of my divorce. I had every excuse you could image as to why I was unable to tithe. Mainly the one about barely being able to make ends meet! How was I supposed to give 10% of my income to God when my income wasn’t even enough for us?

It was something I had felt very passionately about when I was married. My go to quote whenever my husband and I were struggling financially was, “He takes care of the sparrows. How much more precious are we?”

I remember one time we were sitting in church and I asked my husband if we were tithing that week, since he had just gotten paid. Because he was the bread winner and the head of our house, the decision was ultimately his. He clenched the money in his pocket and said, “I’m not sure. We really don’t have enough.” At this time we were pregnant with my youngest and living with my parents until we could get back up on our feet.

I looked understandingly at him and said kindly, “Without God we wouldn’t even have that. But he doesn’t want our money for the sake of having our money, that’s not what it’s about. He wants our hearts. So if you’re going to give it with a reluctant heart then don’t.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

A few minutes later the tithe bags came around and he took my hand, smiled at me, and tithed.

After service as we were getting into the car, it wouldn’t start. It wouldn’t do anything! We were sitting in the church parking lot and the battery was dead! Panic set in as we looked at each other and thought, What are we going to do? There was no way we could afford a new battery.

We were able to get a jump and prayed all the way to Walmart that we wouldn’t need one, and if we did that it was still under warranty. On the way there I was digging for the warranty papers and couldn’t find them anywhere! Since Walmart keeps everyone on file I wasn’t too worried.

Once we were there they determined that we did need a new battery. And by the information I had been given from the clerk on their warranty policy, it was going to be covered.

One problem…I couldn’t find the papers.

Second problem they couldn’t find it in their system.

I mean, I gave them every phone number we had ever used! And I remembered buying it right after we had our oldest and she was only 3.5 Yrs which meant that’s how old my battery was. As I frantically kept asking them to try, the manger came over and started to try to help us. He again told us the same thing.

We were in their system, but there was no sign of the battery.

What happened next was crazy. The manager looked me in the eyes and said that he believed me and that they were going to replace it for us, under the warranty! I couldn’t believe it!! We were so relieved and they had us up and running in no time.

As we were walking back to our car I looked at the receipt and started to laugh and cry all at the same time. My husband looked at me and bewildered asked, “What?”

“Look at the amount!” I told him.

It was then that he started scratching his head half laughing too.

You see the amount that we saved on the battery was the amount we had tithed, almost down to the penny! That was God!

Now you would think that it would have taken a few more years for me to forget how well my Father had taken care of me, and yet here I was as a newly single mom struggling with the idea of giving 10%. Guess you can just call me Israel!

Now tithing isn’t a commandment but rather an act of obedience. Not in the sense that we are breaking the rules if we don’t tithe but rather we are not submitting to the fact that we are not in control. We think that we are the ones that are in control of our finances. WRONG! You can’t make one more dollar on this earth with out God allowing it! So how do we think we have any say.

God tells us that if we are good stewards of the things he gives us, he will entrust us with more.

Matthew 25:23

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.Come and share your master’s happiness!’

He specifically tells us that he will poor out more blessing then we know what to do with if we are faithful in tithing.

Malachi 3:8-10

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

3 years into being on my own and I can tell you that each year I am more blessed than the last. The times I think there isn’t any way I can get any extra money that month, or there isn’t any other way I will see blessing right now, God blows my socks off.

God has, literally, blessed me so much that I can’t help but walk around with complete contentment, knowing that my Daddy’s the one taking care of me. I am more precious than the sparrows.

If your are struggling in you life right now, then I dare you trust God with this part of you life. Tithe. Tithe with the attitude of, “God, you are my provider. Everything I have comes from you! With out your blessing of even this little that I do have, I wouldn’t have anything. I’m giving back to you because your promises are true. I know you will take care of me, for I am more precious than the sparrows.”

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I'm Rebecca! Single mother, Christ follower, beautiful creator, essential oiler, mompreneur. After my divorce I felt robbed. I became determined to create beauty from my ashes, and create a life I could be proud of. My passion is to help other single mama's do the same.

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I'm Rebecca! Single mother, Christ follower, beautiful creator, essential oiler, mompreneur. After my divorce I felt robbed. I became determined to create beauty from my ashes, and create a life I could be proud of. My passion is to help other single mama's do the same.

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